BHUBANESWAR: After completion of field survey in seven backward districts in the first phase, the first-ever socio-economic caste census (SECC) for determination of poverty has started in the remaining 23 districts of the State.
Although the Centre has set May 31 as the deadline for data collection of individual rural household, the repeated revision of the supervisor’s manual by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is delaying the process.
As per the fresh manual, the supervisors have been asked to visit at least 10 per cent of the villages of the enumeration blocks along with the enumerator and data entry operator after the data collection to ensure complete coverage of all households.
The supervisors will be responsible for ensuring accuracy of data collected from individual household. If the enumerator does not agree with the answers provided by the respondent, he or she has to make a separate entry giving reasons for his/her disagreement. The supervisors have to visit those specific households and verify the relevant entries.
Sources in the socio-economic caste census told “Express” that frequently upgrading software for supervision verification process and generation of supervisor input at the charge centre has also made the job difficult.
As the data entry operators (DEOs) are selected by the Electronic Corporation of India Limited (EICL), the nodal agency for the census operation, many of the DEOs are found wanting on the technical front. The DEOs have been provided an electronic hand- held device supplied by the ECIL, sources said.
Initially, the enumeration was to start from mid-September last year and end before December 15. However, two flash floods in the last week of September delayed the process. Besides, the ECIL not only failed to deliver the hand-held electronic device for data entry in time, but also made considerable delay in the selection of DEOs.